


A Little Piece of Advice

by Sarina_Hawke_Theirin



Series: Glances: The Kirkwall Stories [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Advice, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Relationship Advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 15:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11694507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarina_Hawke_Theirin/pseuds/Sarina_Hawke_Theirin
Summary: Varric has some concerns about the on again off again relationship between Gabrielle and Anders.





	A Little Piece of Advice

Gabrielle entered the Hanged Man and marched upstairs to Varric’s room. Without a word to the dwarf, she flopped down into the chair nearest the door, threw her muddy boots up on the table, then leaned back to close her eyes. After an entire day of listening to Anders and Fenris bicker like an old married couple, she just wanted to relax with a few drinks before going home.

“You’re dripping on my table,” Varric pointed out from across the room.

With her eyes still shut, she shrugged. “It’ll wash.”

“Maybe so,” the diminutive man insisted. “But you know how pissed off Nora gets when I leave a mess. And I try never to piss of Nora. She spits in the ale otherwise.”

“She does that anyway,” Gabrielle argued.

Varric heaved a sigh. “Look, Scrapper, I’d just appreciate it if…”

The mage opened her eyes to glare at the dwarf. “Varric, if I want to get nagged, I’ll go home and listen to it from my mother. I came here to clear my head and get a little peace and quiet before dealing with that shrew of a woman, who’s just going to insist that I invite Sebastian to dinner again tonight.”

“Is she still trying to push Chantry Boy on you?”

Gabrielle smacked her lips together. “Always. She says he’s the best I’m ever going to do, and, while he’s not Orlesian or Kirkwall nobility, it’s better than anything else I could ever get. I’m lucky that he took such an interest in me despite my overly masculine appearance and horrendous attitude. And he even looks past the fact that I’m a mage.”

Varric cocked a brow. “And why don’t you just tell her to sod off? Could it be you’re actually interested in the handsome prince in shining white armor? Inquiring minds want to know.”

Gabrielle’s lips curled into a disgusted sneer. She wouldn’t date, bed, or marry Sebastian Vael if he was the last man left in Thedas. He was a hypocritical, self-righteous windbag who treated her like some mindless waif. She despised the way he and her mother would sit at the far end of the dining table and discuss her as if she wasn’t present. And she absolutely loathed the way he comforted Leandra by telling her that, once they were married, he’d make sure Gabrielle would learn to behave like a proper lady.

The mage cracked her knuckles. “One more question like that, Varric, and you’ll be needing the services of a ghost writer for your next book.”

He waved his hands in front of his chest. “Alright. I get the picture.”

The space between his brows disappeared as he lifted his half-full mug to drain it. When he set it back down on the table, he steepled his fingers beneath his chin to study her for a long moment. When things grew overly awkward, she folded her arms over her chest to let him know she was ready for the question that obviously burned in his mind.

“So, if not Chantry Boy, then who?” he finally asked. “Broody or Blondie?”

She waggled her head. “I’m not playing this game with you today, dwarf.”

To be honest, Gabrielle wasn’t entirely sure herself. She loved Anders. She had since the first time they met. He was so much like her dad. Unfortunately, he possessed a lot of Malcolm’s terrible traits to go along with the good ones.

Then there was the fact that he carried an angry Fade spirit around in his head. Justice definitely complicated things, but she knew the healer’s rejections went beyond the spirit’s influence. There was something about the notion of being in a relationship with her that he just couldn’t or didn’t want to deal with.

On the other side of the coin, there was Fenris. Strong, brave, handsome, and an ass that rivaled Alistair Theirin’s in terms of perfection. He was also stubborn, obnoxious, overtly cruel at times, and, best of all, he hated mages. Why would he ever take any real interest in her?

_Why would anyone?_

The hard truth of the matter was, neither man seemed all that attracted to her. She and the elf were forever engaging in screaming matches with each other, and Anders…Anders had pulled her in and pushed her away so many times she was afraid she’d need a brace for her neck before he finally went away for good.

“Come on, Scrapper, give me something,” the dwarf insisted. “A tiny morsel of a mystery to dwell upon and keep me up at night trying to unravel it?”

She opened her mouth to refuse his request, but stopped when she realized he already knew the truth just as well as she did. Deep down, at her heart and reality’s most basic level, there was no denying the answer was unequivocally Anders. Each and every time.

No, Varric didn’t want the answer to a question. He wanted her to broach the subject of the healer so he could speak his mind freely. There was genuine concern in those keen brown eyes, but for who? Her? Anders? Fenris? Or maybe it was Garrett? Was it possible that Garrett put the dwarf up to convincing her to leave the healer alone?

Her shoulders lifted and fell with a resigned sigh. “Spit it out, dwarf. Whatever it is you have to say, say it.”

He leaned forward to rest his weight on his forearms. “I’ve spent the past two years watching Blondie pull you in every direction possible. I’ve seen you get so blind stinking drunk over it that you’ve torn up my tavern more times than I care to count. Maybe it’s time to move on, Hawke.”

She glowered at him with a tight-lipped grimace, all the time trying to hold back a wave of tears. She knew he was right. She had every reason to tell Anders to fuck off, but she couldn’t. To do so would be a betrayal of her heart. As much as it pained her to admit it, he’d burrowed his way to its depths and she couldn’t get him out if she tried.

“Anything else?” she asked after several moments of uneasy silence.

He shrugged. “Well, there’s also the Justice thing. I know you never listen to a damned thing I say, but did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, getting involved with the possessed mage might be hazardous to your health?”

Gabrielle stood and crossed the room to sit next to her diminutive friend. An uneven smirk played at the corners of her mouth as she leaned forward and gave a light pinch to his cheek. “Well, I suppose I could always turn my attention to you, Varric.”

His chest and shoulders shook with a laugh. “Given what I’ve seen, I don’t think I’m fucked up enough for your tastes, Scrapper. Besides, I have a firm policy against getting involved with any woman who can kick my ass.”

The mage leaned back and took a sip of ale from the fresh mug the barmaid left for her friend just moments before. “Then you better hope I find another suitor soon, dwarf. You’re beginning to grow on me. You know, like a hardy little fungus.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
